ESRB Strikes Again, Censors DOA: Dimensions Box Art

The Entertainment Software Rating Board has had a busy week. They recently censored the eerie and awesome logo for Dead Island, which featured a hanging corpse over the letter "I," but it seems the ESRB isn't finished yet. Their latest victim is Dead or Alive: Dimensions for the 3DS.

Apparently, there is a limit to just how much thigh Kasumi can show. In an attempt to keep young children from foaming at the mouth, the ESRB deemed it appropriate to hide a few more inches of the female fighter's thigh. Though the European box art has yet to be completed, it will most likely remain identical to the Japanese version's.

I don't think I even need to stress how ridiculous this latest struggle with censorship is. With Dead Island, the ESRB justified their ruling by claiming that the hanging corpse was not suitable for marketing materials. Though the original logo was much better than this new one, their defense makes sense given the context. Covering up a few inches of thigh, however, is less understandable.

The North American cover art for Samurai Warriors 3 for the Wii was also censored not long ago, concealing a female character's cleavage by a few inches. Tecmo Koei just can't catch a break. I'm not saying I want video game box art to feature a lot of skin, but when the ESRB makes minor adjustments that hardly make a difference, it just seems like pointless censorship.

David Sanchez
David Sanchez is the most honest man on the internet. You can trust him because he speaks in the third person.